Suddenly, There's a Valley
by Beverly McIntyre
Summary: A Broken Palisades story. After settling into the mansion, Longshot wanders the grounds of Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning and stumbles upon something that will change his life.
1. The Discovery

Hello. Before you sit down to read my little creation, I figured I better give some information. 

First off, the story follows a few days after my last written work "The First Step." It's just a story that follows afterwards. Reading "First Step" might help those of you who aren't familiar with what I've done to the X-Men (all really minor changes). 

Next, I utilize Longshot's child-like innocence a lot. It's basically the reason the story works in the first place. Now some people might complain that over time his innocence would simply fade away and be replaced by a more adult attitude (hence his ability to lead a rebellion against whichever Mojo is being tyrannical). But I feel his innocence never really quite goes away. He may put it on a shelf while in the midst of a battle, but it comes right back out when he's not in major peril or needed to act like an adult. It is on that belief that I've based this story. 

Finally, this story came to me while reading the ten-year anniversary book for Calvin and Hobbes. This story is intended to be a homage to the masterful stories told with pictures and dialoge bubbles. I really miss them. 

So with that out of the way...  
ON WITH THE STORY! 

DISCLAIMER: The X-Men belong to Marvel Comics and are being used without permission. I am making no money off of writing this, so please don't sue. (College expenses being what they are, I have no money anyway.) Part of the concept of this story belongs to Bill Watterson, and also, this story is a homage to his enlightening work. Finally, Dakota belongs to me (lock, stock, and barrel). 

Feedback is adored and welcomed. Also, if anybody wishes to archive this just notify me before you do. 

* * *

Suddenly, There's a Valley - Part 1  
Beverly McIntyre

The Storm-created bubble of warm weather encapsulated a bit more land than just the grounds of Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning. It actually reached to the far edge of a copse of woods that currently had a curious, blond haired man poking about inside of it. He was lifting up logs as his crystal blue eyes peered underneath. Satisfied that there was a requisite amount of squiggly little things wiggling around, he set the decaying log back down and turned to the nearest tree. With four-fingered hands, he climbed up the tree until he found the perfect perch for him to look out across the land. Settling down on a branch that didn't even bend under his slight weight, he shielded his eyes from the sun with a delicate hand and surveyed the surrounding landscape. 

Longshot had been told that today was the first day of a new year. He had taken it upon himself to find out what had changed from the last day of last year to today. To his logic something had to be different. He was on his own personal quest to find out what was new. 

So far, he had found nothing different. Nothing had changed since he had been in this very strand of trees yesterday. He found it kind of baffling. _Storm did say today was a brand new start. With a brand new start comes brand new things._ So with very discerning eyes, he scoured the landscape for any signs of something new. 

He was starting to lose hope of finding anything new when his sharp eyes picked up a small, black, and furry lump laying near the road that led to Xavier's estate. _Now there's something new!_ Curious, Longshot got down out of the tree the quickest way possible: jumping straight off of the branch. Now, if a normal person had done that same foolhardy stunt, he, or she, would have been seriously hurt from jumping off of a branch thirty feet in the air. But Longshot was no normal person. 

He was an extra-dimensional being who was one of the most agile people on the planet. He also was the luckiest. With that being the case, he landed effortlessly at the base of the tree and jogged away. 

While crossing over to the curious lump, he went right into an area that the balloon of good weather did not cover. The sudden drop in temperature, while fascinating, chilled him to the bone. Rather than linger in the cold, Longshot sped up until he crossed right back into an area of warm weather. He slowed to a stop when he reached his objective. Kneeling down next to it, he inspected the little creature. 

Longshot recognized the lump of fur as a puppy, and it didn't look too good. Its small eyes were screwed shut in pain. A lot of its black fur was matted with ice-cold mud. There was a small gash running down the side of one of its back legs. The only relief to Longshot's hearts was that the little puppy was still breathing, if only barely. 

_Poor thing. It's so young. What did it do to deserve this?_ He carefully reached down to pick up the little puppy but abruptly stopped before he even touched it. _I'd better not move it. I might hurt it even more. I'll just go get Dakota, he'll know what to do._

Within two heartbeats, Longshot was on his feet and racing toward the mansion. He went through a couple of areas where Storm's bubble of warm weather was not quite complete and therefore a little chilly, but he didn't notice. He had more important things on his mind. He had a life to save. 

* * *

Storm was in the kitchen, steeping a cup of tea for herself, when Dakota came plodding into the room. His shoulders were slumped. His black hair slightly messed. His brown eyes were dull and had slight bags under them. He looked entirely drained of energy, which was quite the opposite of the night before when he and Logan had come home from some sort of party energeticly singing at the top of their lungs. It might have been fine except both were very drunk and it was four o'clock in the morning. 

Dakota glanced to his left and saw an overturned bucket on the floor. He looked back at Storm who was standing across the room, which suddenly seemed like fifty miles away. He plodded over to the bucket and plopped himself down atop it, deciding to rest there so he could get the energy back to make it across the room. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. 

Storm continued to watch him for a moment, until he spoke up. "Y'know something, Storm? There is something Chu-XAVIER left out of his files on Rogue." 

The leader of the X-Men caught Dakota's near slip of his friendly name for the professor. Storm highly doubted that Xavier liked being called "Chuckles" in public. 

"Oh? And what is that?" ,she asked while removing the tea bag from her tea. She took a sip and found the flavor strength to be satisfactory as Dakota let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. 

"She's oddly vindictive when you wake her up at four in the morning." 

"Rough lesson today?" Dakota was working with Rogue, in the form of daily lessons, to help her get her absorbtion powers under control without any mechanical assistance. 

"No, just a real long one. I wish she hadn't been so adamant about making up for the day I gave her off yesterday." 

"Well, I should warn you then that Hank and Bobby are planning some dire fate to befall you for also waking them up." 

"Just for me?" 

"They know better than to do anything to Logan." 

"Oh, yippeee." Dakota slumped even farther down on the bucket. Storm knew he had to be tired. He had nearly gotten two hours of sleep when Rogue came pounding on his door, ready for today's lessons. Storm tried to hide her smile behind another sip of tea when she remembered the picture of Rogue carrying him outside over her shoulder with him grumbling the entire way. "Are you planning some great revenge, too?" 

Storm set down her cup of tea. "No, I believe Rogue, Hank, and Bobby shall torment you enough for all of us." 

"Well, on that note, I think I'll just go back to bed. Two hours of-" 

"DAKOTA! DAKOTA!" Longshot came tearing into the kitchen. He raced over top his friend, grabbed him by the hand, and tried to drag Dakota bodily out of the kitchen. Dakota, being nearly two times Longshot in weight, didn't budge. "C'mon. There's a little puppy out there that needs your help." 

Dakota looked up into his friend's worried eyes and sighed. He nodded once as Longshot let go of his hand. He slowly got up from the bucket and jogged out after an already retreating Longshot. Storm, curious as to why her former compatriot was so worried, followed shortly after. 

* * *

"The puppy's over here! Hurry!" Longshot motioned furiously for his friend to hurry up. _Why is he being so slow?_ Dakota sped up at Longshot's impassioned plea, despite the protest from his sleep-deprived body. He slowed to a walk as he got closer to the small lump lying at Longshot's feet. He stopped in front of it and crouched down to inspect it as Storm came up behind him. Longshot bent over to watch what Dakota was doing, breathing hard from his sprint to and from the mansion. Dakota looked the young dog over then looked up at his friend. 

"Buddy, I don't think there's much we can do for her. She looks pretty bad." Longshot's eyes started too mist over, and Dakota felt his heart sink into his stomach. He hated seeing his happy-go-lucky companion like this. _Damn, I'm a big softie._ "But that doesn't mean we're not going to try. Go back to the mansion and get a shoe-box and some clean rags." 

"Right," Longshot snapped as he stood up and wiped a hand across his eyes. He turned to run back down the road, but Storm laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

"We will get to the mansion faster if I move us along." With a controlled column of wind, she picked herself and Longshot off the ground and flew the both of them back to the mansion. Dakota watched them until they were out of sight behind some trees. He rocked back on his heels, shaking his head. 

"This little gal isn't going to make it. I hate when these things happen." Dakota looked down at the little puppy. "...you can tell I'm in desperate need of some sleep when I start talking to myself..." 

* * *

Longshot watched as Dakota placed the puppy in the shoe-box with almost infinite care. He carefully tucked a white dish towel that Storm had donated to the cause around the little bundle of fur. The puppy let out a soft whine and twitched ever-so slightly. Dakota paused to let it settle back down and then carefully picked up the box. 

"Well, I guess this is all we can do for her now." Longshot reached out for the box, and Dakota carefully placed it in his hands. "The best we can do is keep her warm and safe." 

"W-will she get better?" Dakota looked at his friend and wanted to tell him the truth. He wanted to say that he thought there was no way that the puppy would live to see tomorrow. But Longshot didn't look like he needed to hear the truth. He looked like he needed a ray of hope. Dakota opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Storm, who had flown herself and Longshot back from the mansion, gently put an arm around Longshot's shoulders. 

"We will keep her in one of the spare rooms and put out some food and water," she said softly. 

"But what do puppies eat?" 

"Uh, well, they eat dog food," Dakota said, scratching his head. "But I don't think we can go out to a store and get some since today's a holiday." Longshot looked dejectedly at the little bundle in the box. "No, wait. Seven-Elevens never close. I can send somebody out to get some canned food and maybe a bottle to give her some milk. Normally, I'd suggest tablescraps, but this is Drake's week to cook. We don't want to make her any worse than she is." 

Longshot let out a weak laugh as he and Storm turned to go back to the mansion with their precious cargo. Dakota watched them disappear around a bend when he realized that they were heading in the same direction he needed to go in. His bed was, after all, that way. Slowly, he followed them. 

* * *

Longshot paced back and forth in the foyer, impatiently waiting for Rogue and Joseph to get back from Seven-Eleven. He felt that precious seconds were slipping through his hands now. The puppy had to live. She just had to. He had to have found her for some reason. He highly doubted it was so she could die. 

_Why don't they just hurry up? Don't they know a life hangs in the balance?_ Longshot whirled and charged toward the stairs. _Dakota will know what to do._ He went up two steps before stopping suddenly. He remembered Dakota was trying to catch up on his sleep and did not want to be disturbed. Slightly put out, Longshot slowly turned and went back to the foyer to pace. 

After a few more seconds of pacing, Longshot decided to go check up on the puppy once more. He made halfway there when he remembered that he had already annoyed Beast and Dr. Reyes by his frequent visits within a span of five minutes. He turned around, deciding not to annoy the two doctors he had guilted into trying to save the little puppy's life. He walked back to the foyer to wait for Rogue and Joseph's return. 

Just as he arrived back at the foyer, Longshot heard the unmistakable sound of a vehicle pulling to a stop in front of the mansion. He scrambled over to the front doors and flung them open. Rogue and Joseph were climbing out of the black van with a couple plastic sacks as Longshot rushed at them. 

"Hey sugah, we got the stuff ya wanted." Without even a word of thanks, Longshot snatched the sacks from both of them and bounded right back into the mansion. He disappeared inside as he rushed toward the kitchen. Joseph looked over at Rogue with a raised eyebrow. 

"Not even a thank you?" 

"Well, sometimes when Longshot thinks somethin's important, he forgets his manners." Rogue shrugged as she walked away. "He'll remember t'thank us later." 

"But why would the life of one puppy be so important to him?" ,Joseph asked as he jogged to catch up with her. 

"That's why he's so special sometimes. He cares." 

* * *

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock fumed as she moved down the hallway. _Of all the indignant..._ She new the relationship between herself and Angel was starting to cool down, but that gave him no right to snap at her. She had been tending to his every need faithfully: getting him food and beverage when he was hungry or thirsty, wheeling him around in the wheelchair that Hank and Dr. Reyes had gotten for him with a little help from Dakota, tried to keep him as comfortable as possible, scratched his leg when his cast itched, and so much more. She had basically waited on him hand and foot. She would not normally do that for anyone, but she figured with their shared experience at the hands of the Destruction Crew that she could make an exception this time. So with all that said and done, there was absolutely no reason why Warren Worthington had any right to tell her to basically bugger off, especially right in front of Hank and Reyes. [Of course, she was oblivious to the fact that eternally being around Warren and asking him if he needed anything got rather quickly on his nerves. He had just hit the breaking point the last time she asked, which was, coincidently, right when Beast and Reyes walked into the room.] 

Betsy sped right past an open door and came to an abrupt halt about three steps afterwards. She slowly turned back around and walked back to the doorway, slightly confused by what she had seen out of the corner of her eye. She looked into the room to confirm she wasn't seeing rage-induced images. 

Nothing had changed in the span of the four heartbeats it took her to turn around and look back in the room. Longshot knelt in the middle of a barren room with his back to the doorway. He hunched slightly forward as if he was intently watching something on the floor directly in front of him. There was an uncovered window to his left that let in a stream of light that illuminated the area around him. The light that poured in was soft and made his blond hair seem to glow with a golden angelic halo. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought that Longshot was praying and she had just stumbled upon a very pious scene. 

"Longshot?" Her beckoning voice was not very loud; it was as if she did not want to break into whatever was happening in the room. But apparently Longshot had heard her because he quietly got to his feet, leaving a baby bottle full of milk next to a box on the floor. He slowly turned to face her, and when she got a good look at the state he was in, something odd happened: her heart nearly broke. 

Longshot stood in front of her, the picture of sorrow. His eyes were red-rimmed and pleading with her to do something. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Betsy sensed that his surface thoughts dwelt heavily on the small puppy lying in the shoe-box behind him. 

"It won't eat," he mumbled dejectedly. "Beast said she won't live much longer if she doesn't eat. I gave her some food, but she's not eating it." Betsy was beside herself with what to do. If she had been the same person she had been when Longshot was an active member of the X-Men, she would have gathered him in her arms and told him everything would work out. But she had been through so many changes since the X-Men had been outlaws living in the Australia. She wasn't quite sure what should be done anymore. _Maybe I should get someone who does know what to do._ Betsy reached out telepathically to Storm and told her that Longshot was having an emotional problem. Storm responded with a quick "I'll be there in a second," and Betsy severed the link. A few excruciating minutes passed. Longshot had not become any happier, nor had Storm showed up. _Where is she coming from? The other side of the grounds?_ Longshot looked like the most miserable man on the planet. 

Impulsively, Betsy crossed the few steps that stood between the two of them and awkwardly put her arms around him. _What am I doing? I'm not the same soft woman I was when he knew me._ But that was beside the point when Longshot innocently put his arms around her and buried his face in her purple hair. A few hot tears made it through her hair and wet her skin. She felt him trying to draw comfort from her presence there and try to push back the anguished thoughts that pervaded his mind. Being in such close proximity to him, she almost felt as bad about the puppy as he did. 

"It will be all right, Longshot." It was hard for Betsy to say those words, but she forced them out any way. No matter what changes she had been through, Longshot was still her dear friend. She held him closer, letting him take whatever comfort he needed from her. "It will be all right." 

* * *

The rest of the day, the X-Men tried to keep Longshot busy enough to at least keep him partially distracted from the puppy. In part, they succeeded. His thoughts only drifted toward the puppy when there was a pause in the action. Everyone chipped in to help in one way or another. Reyes let him tag along when she went to check up on Angel. Storm had him help with the watering of the few plants she had in her room. Betsy kept him distracted the best way she knew how by letting him join in with her sparring with Logan. When Dakota got up from his six-hour-long nap, he and Maggott went digging through Dakota's boxes of stuff to find Longshot's favorite video and a V.C.R. While the two of them were downstairs hooking up the V.C.R., Hank and Bobby let him help with short-sheeting Dakota's bed with a little toothpaste thrown into the mix. Rogue and Joseph made up some popcorn for his movie-viewing. They even let him pour the kernels into the pan. The only two people who didn't help were Marrow and Cannonball, both of whom disappeared earlier to visit Calisto and Meltdown, respectively. When Dakota had popped in the video, everybody came into the rec room to watch _Alladin_ with Longshot. [Cartoons never bothered Longshot because he knew that they were fake. And if somebody got hit over his head, there were these neat little stars that showed up.] 

After the movie was over, it had gotten a bit late and everybody was pretty tired from trying to keep Longshot busy all day. As everybody filed off to bed, Longshot walked to the room with the puppy in it. He quietly tip-toed over to the shoe-box and knelt down beside it. He knew his friends had been trying to keep him from thinking about her, but it never quite worked. The poor, little puppy was always hanging around in the back of his mind. He leaned over and tucked the dish towel more tightly around her. He leaned over and kissed her on top of her furry little head. 

"Don't die, little puppy," he whispered softly as he got up. "It wouldn't be very grateful of you to break either of my hearts." He slowly backed out of the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He slipped down the hallway then up the stairs to his room. 

He went into his room and shut the door behind him. He stripped down to his underwear and got into bed. As he slipped into the realm of dream, a small flicker of hope brightened inside of him, and in his dreams he was playing fetch with a little, black puppy. 


	2. The Nightmare

Suddenly, There's a Valley - Part Two  
Beverly McIntyre

Storm was restless and had been that way for most of the night. She had tossed, turned, and managed to get very little sleep. There was something in the back of her mind that kept nagging her , keeping her awake. It was about four o'clock when she had finally figured out exactly what had been keeping her awake. Around three in the morning she had fallen asleep once again, but this time she had a dream. In it, she was playing with a small, black puppy when suddenly a bright red semitruck ran the poor creature over. Storm woke with a start when her conscious mind had finally grasped what her unconscious mind had been trying to tell her. The leader of the X-Men was infected with Longshot's concern for the small puppy laying downstairs. 

Muttering to herself for not catching it earlier, she tossed her blankets off and got out of bed. She grabbed her silken robe off of the chair next to the bed and put it on. She quickly exited the room, figuring the sooner she checked up on the puppy, the sooner she could get back to sleep. The former thief of Cairo quietly descended the stairs and made her way to the abandoned room where the puppy was being kept. She paused outside the door when she heard a muffled noise come from the other side. 

Ever so quietly, she opened the door, not quite knowing what to expect. What she found inside was not high on her expectations to find. She was not the only casualty to Longshot's innocent concern. Wolverine sat in the middle of the room with the shoe-box that held the small creature sitting on his lap. There was a flashlight sitting beside him, pointing at the ceiling. It provided a scant amount of illumination. In the dim light, Storm could make out a short, squat can being held in Logan's left hand. His right hand had something smeared over the tips of his fingers. He gently lowered that hand into the box. Being extremely tired, Storm was hoping that the brown stuff on his fingers was dog food. 

"C'mon pup. Y'need to eat. Yer not going to last much longer if you don't." 

"Has she eaten anything, Logan?" ,Storm asked as she crossed over and gracefully plopped herself in front of him and the shoe-box. Wolverine did not look up. He had smelled her coming. He also wasn't particularly surprised that she was there. If he had been affected by Longshot's instant bond with the pup, he couldn't doubt that she would also be concerned. 

"No, she hasn't even attempted to sniff at the food. Look Ro, you can even see her ribs clearly." Storm looked down into the box and felt her heart sink. Wolverine had pulled the dish towel off, and Storm had a good view of a barely breathing dog that was emaciated. Hoping it was just a trick of the shadows, she picked up the flashlight from beside Wolverine and pointed the beam of light into the shoe-box. She felt her heart sink even lower when she saw that she was not being fooled by any shadows. _Is it my imagination or is this dog breathing more shallow than she did yesterday? Oh Longshot, I do not believe that your little puppy will make it much longer._ She sighed as she set the flashlight back as it was before. Logan continued to try to bait the little puppy to lick the food off of his fingers. "C'mon pup. Eat." 

Curious as to what exactly Logan was trying to feed the puppy, Storm took the can of food out of his hand. Logan let it go easily since he was too preoccupied trying to coax the pup to eat. Storm brought the can of food over near the flashlight. The brown food inside had the consistency of semihard mush, a most unappetizing trait. As she brought the can near her nose, she felt her stomach lurch. It smelled absolutely repugnant. 

"It is no small wonder the puppy will not eat this. It is clearly most unappetizing." 

"Don't blame me. Rogue and Joseph bought this. But it's all we got." 

"Then I have a feeling Longshot will be very distraught by the end of the day," she said as she set the can a good arm's length away. Logan tried brushing a little of the food on the pup's lips to get it to try to eat something. The pup did not even budge. Wolverine sat back, resigned. 

"She's not eating. She's not going to make it. I don't want t'be the one who breaks this to Longshot. He's got his heart wrapped around her." 

"Do you think this quick bond he has made with her has something to do with why Alison is not here with him?" ,Storm asked as she watched the puppy quitely breathe. 

"Could. It's been awhile since I've ever seen those two lovebirds apart. Thinking this might have to do with Ali's miscarriage?" 

"Possibly. But we will never know until we can ask Longshot about Alison. Every time I try to bring up the subject with him, I'm always interrupted, usually by Dakota." 

"You thinkin' Dakota might be doing that on purpose?" 

"It certainly seems that way, but what reason would he have to do so?" 

"Maybe because Longshot asked him to until he felt it was right to tell you X-Men why he was here." Both Storm and Wolverine turned to the voice coming from the doorway. Dakota stood in the doorway in a pair of blue, silk boxer shorts and a baby bottle full of warm milk in hand. 

"How long you been standin' there?" 

"Since 'every time I bring up the subject with him, I'm always interrupted, usually by Dakota.'" He shrugged. "Sometimes I just show up when people start talking about me. Anyway, had any luck gettin' the pup to eat food?" 

"No, she's not even biting." Dakota strolled over and set himself down next to Storm. 

"Ah. Then maybe your approach is all wrong. She's a dog, not a fish," Dakota said as he reached for the box. Wolverine gently picked up the box and handed it to him. Dakota carefully nestled it in his lap. 

"Har. Har. You been takin' one-liner lessons from Drake?" 

"No, just watched one too many episodes of Star Trek." Dakota squirted some of the warm milk on his finger tip and tried to stick that finger into the puppy's mouth. He had a little trouble trying to get the puppy to open her tightly clamped jaws. It took a little cajoling, but he managed to get his finger in her mouth. He rubbed his finger against her tongue, hoping the taste of warm milk would entice her to eat. The puppy whined and stirred but did nothing else. When Dakota removed his finger from the puppy's mouth he had a small string of saliva that went from his finger to her mouth. He grimaced slightly and rubbed his finger on the dish towel that was bunched up in the corner of the box. "Well, that didn't work." 

"She is going to die, isn't she?" ,Storm asked as Dakota put the bottle into the box and got to his feet. 

"Looks like it, but there's always a chance she won't. If there's one thing Longshot has taught me, it's that there's always a chance. I'm going to take her to the vet later. Maybe they can do something for her." 

"But where are you going with her now?" 

"I'm going to try another angle to get her to eat." Dakota turned and with the shoe-box cradled to his chest, quickly exited the room. 

* * *

Longshot nestled down deeper into his pillow. His dreams had turned from happy to very disturbing in a short matter of time. He was now looking for the puppy who got lost amongst the foliage in the jungle he was in. He kept calling out for the puppy, his calls getting more frantic as time rolled on. 

Dakota carefully crept into the room with the shoe-box tucked under his arm. He tip-toed over beside the bed, being very careful not to wake Longshot up. He set the box down next to the bed and carefully scooped the puppy up. 

Longshot was now using a magic carpet he had stumbled upon to fly around the jungle to find the puppy. He sped around with no caution for the large trees that loomed all around him. In the distance, he saw somebody waving at him. Longshot buckled down and urged the carpet toward the person. Maybe he would know where the puppy went. 

Carefully, Dakota brought the puppy near to Longshot, close enough so she could smell him. 

Longshot found the person was no he; it was Dazzler. Her abdomen looked a little distended. 

"You smell that, little one," Dakota whispered into the little puppy's ear. "That's the scent of someone who cares a great deal about you. He wants you to live. Can you live for him?" _Because if you don't you'll break the very heart of innocence._

"Longshot! Where have you been?" Alison patted the slight bulge in her belly. "You know I'm pregnant. I can't do this all alone." 

The small, black puppy's nose sniffed at the large lump in front of her. There were so many scents, but there was one she recognized. It was the scent of the Comfort that had found her yesterday. Every time the Comfort had been around, she had felt a little better. But the Comfort's scent had changed; it was a little more bitter. Like there was a deep sadness eating away at inside of the Comfort. She had to help him somehow. 

"The puppy will be due any minute now." 

Dakota carefully pulled the puppy away from Longshot. He cradled her to his chest with one arm as he crouched down and picked up the shoe-box with his free hand. He quietly backed out of the room and shut the door partially behind him. 

"The puppy? I thought you were having a baby." 

Dakota walked to the stairs and sat down on the top step. He set down the box next to him. He picked the bottle up from inside the box. He brought it toward the little puppy's mouth. 

"No, silly. We're having a little puppy with black fur. Now, are you going to help me or-" Alison stopped in mid-sentence and got a pained look on her face. She pitched forward with a scream of agony. 

The puppy smelled something come near her mouth. Maybe this was a way to help the Comfort. She tried to open her mouth to let whatever it was in, but she found she barely had the strength. She had managed to get her mouth partially open when an odd taste splashed on her tongue. It tasted so much like Mother. 

Longshot jumped frantically down from his flying rug. He landed in something soft that tried to pull him down. He fought against it until he was free. When he looked to where Alison had been, he saw a familiar, long hallway. He stumbled forward into the hallway that had once been a part of the palace he had lived in. 

Dakota smiled slightly as the puppy sucked tentatively on the bottle. He smile widened as she gained strength and began to drink more and more of the milk. 

Longshot walked down the oppressively silent hallway. His boots thundered on the marble floor. He walked to a lone door, set in the center of the wall at the opposite end. He felt a feeling of great sadness settle upon him as he reached for the door handle. 

Both Storm and Wolverine came up the stairs to see Dakota holding a puppy that was rather hungry and was drinking the milk like there would never be enough. 

Longshot opened the door and saw the sight he had been dreading all his life. Alison lay on her side with her back to the door, sobbing. Longshot slowly walked to the grand bed she lay in. His throat was slowly closing with each step. He reached out to touch his beloved on the arm. 

Dakota had handed the feeding puppy to Storm. She gently cradled the creature as it fed. A smile of relief spread across her face. Maybe the puppy was not going to die. Dakota and Wolverine turned to go back down the stairs to get another bottle of milk and some food. They had made it halfway down the stairs when an anguished cry screeched out in the night. 

Dakota was the first in Longshot's room, shortly followed by Wolverine. Longshot thrashed in bed, trying to fight the ghosts of his unborn child and the little puppy that were trying to strangle him. Dakota dodged an errant fist that swung at his face as he tried to wake his friend. 

"Longshot. Longshot! Wake up, buddy! It's only a dream!" Dakota shook his friend until Longshot's eyes popped open. He snapped into a sitting position, nearly smashing heads with Dakota in doing so. 

"NO! PLEASE! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO DIE!" 

"Longshot. Kid. It's okay. You're among friends now. It's okay." Wolverine reached out and placed a calm hand on Longshot's shoulder. Longshot's entire body shook with the bottled up fear and sadness. "It's okay. Yer back among friends." 

Longshot's cry had brought Rogue out of a dead sleep. She had jumped right out of bed. She grabbed her gloves and a robe off of the back of a chair as she flew out of the room. She put them on en route. 

Dakota took the puppy back from Storm as she moved to sit beside Longshot on the bed. She carefully put her arms around him, drawing him closer. Longshot let himself be pulled over and tried to blink back the tears that were running down his face. 

"What's goin' on here?" ,Rogue asked as she flew into Longshot's room. Longshot sat nestled in Storm's arms as she quietly whispered words of assurance to him. Wolverine stood to one side of the bed looking like a fish out of water. The only relief Rogue found was that the puppy was in Dakota's arms and sucking on a baby bottle half-full of milk like there would be no tomorrow. "Longshot, sugah, you okay?" 

Rogue crossed over to the bed and sat at the far edge of it. She wanted to go over and hold onto him like Storm was, offering comfort in some tangible way. But for the billionth time in her life, she would have to make do with her presence being felt from a distance. 

Longshot remained quiet for a little while, trying to let both of his hearts slow down and for reality to finally settle in his mind. 

"Th-the puppy," he said quietly. "Where's the puppy?" 

"Right here, pal." Dakota stepped forward with the puppy in his arms. "Alive and very hungry." 

Longshot wiped the tears from his eyes and reached out to hold the little dog. "C-can I hold her?" 

"Sure." Dakota leaned down and gently deposited the pup that was still suckling from the bottle into Longshot's arms. Storm shifted slightly to watch as Longshot held the bottle so the puppy would have to spend less energy to drink. Longshot looked up at his tall friend. 

"You got her to eat. Thank you." 

"I'd say you're welcome, but I have a feeling that you have more to do with why she's eating than I do." 

"I do?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Then is she going to get better?" 

"Well, we'll take her to the vetrinarian in a few hours and see what they can do for her. But from the looks of things, I say she's got a good chance to live now that she's eating." 

Longshot silently watched the puppy drink for awhile. Storm stayed there with him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Rogue and Wolverine left after a little bit to go get another bottle of milk and a fresh can of dog food. Dakota made sure Longshot was going to be all right and then excused himself. As he left the room, he mumbled something about toothpaste and payback. 

When the bottle was getting near empty, Storm suggested that they go downstairs and check up on how Rogue was doing warming the next bottle of milk. Longshot nodded in agreement. 

As Storm and Longshot went down the hallway, they passed by a window. The sun was starting to come up over the edge of Xavier's estate. Longshot paused in front of the window as Storm continued on downstairs. He held the puppy up to show her the rising sun. 

"Look at that, pup. That's the sun rising. I think you and I got quite a few more of those to go through." The puppy stirred in his arms since she just finished the last of the milk in the bottle. She gave a weak yip for some more. "Yep. We're going to see some more of those." 

**~Fin~ **


End file.
